Iron Heart
by Daedulas
Summary: Post game, Spoilers. Hope confesses to Lightning, only to be rejected. Several years pass, and he has grown apart from his friends to lead a successful life. Now, he will reunite with his old friends, but most importantly, with Lightning.
1. Chapter 1

**Iron Heart **– Chapter 1

A/N: After writing Bittersweet, I knew I had more to contribute to the Hope/Light fans out there— so this is what I've come up with. I was inspired by Ironman of all things to write this; a sort of imagining of Hope in a Tony Stark view/with some of his qualities. I'm hoping it turns out better than it sounds. I'm going to try to retain Hope at the center of things, but as a result of events, he has changed.

For those of you who remember me saying I had a sad ending in mind for Bittersweet, this is somewhat along the lines of what I had planned for that. I decided to not drag that story into the double digit chapters though, and resolved it the way I did.

Don't own FF13, etc.

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Hope sat at his desk, working at a feverish pace. He seemed to be huddled over a mass of papers, and compared to his rather large office, he appeared to be a tiny speck. His office space was decorated with rather interesting adornments—different types of metals, plastics, trinkets, and gears. Certainly not for everyone, it seemed. It almost seemed like a garage than an office with all of the mechanical gadgets and parts lying around. But to Hope, this mess made sense. It was a controlled chaos, and he knew where everything went. This was quite the contrary to the untrained eye.

He would draw a line on his paper, and then just as quickly erase it. He would take out a ruler and take precise measurements on whatever he seemed to be working on. After realizing they were completely off, he would crumple the entire piece of paper, throw it into a full waste basket, and begin anew. It was a frustrating process. After the umpteenth time doing this, he threw his pencils and pens on his desk, leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on his desk, and stared straight up at the ceiling.

He opened a drawer in his desk, and retrieved a ball. He would continually throw it into the air and catch it when it fell to him. This is how he got over mental road blocks. He would continue this process until his stress was relieved, or until _the_ right idea came to him. Hope looked over at the clock as he played with the ball—a little after 3 AM.

With a heavy sigh, and a mutter of how long will this take, he leaned back in his chair and again stared at the ceiling. He began to count the tiles of his ceiling, thinking the numbers would somehow prompt something in his head. He was actually wrong about this, as he found his eyes having a hard time adjusting on the tiles as he counted. Then his eye lids found a hard time staying open too. Soon enough, he was fast asleep. Even in his sleep, his mind was restless. His dreams were often short and sporadic. However, his mind didn't seem to be dreaming this time. It seemed to be **remembering**.

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_Three years earlier…._

Three years prior, Hope had been 16. It was two years after the descent of Cocoon. Times were tough, but they were also hopeful. In fact, Hope was particularly hopeful himself one particular night.

The group of friends/family/l'Cie had remained very close after the madness of their journey. They had often found support and encouragement amongst each other, and that was all they needed. For that reason, everyone had built up an even stronger repertoire and camaraderie after their focus ended.

In particular, two of the l'Cie had grown to and remained very close. Naturally, it was Hope and Lightning. For the longest time, Hope had the biggest crush on her. He had liked everything about her, even her sometimes brash personality, which some would protest to. To him, she was perfect the way she was. And it didn't help that Lightning was _very_ easy on the eyes. Thinking about her often made him blush.

The group of friends had met for a get together one night on the beach at Bodum. They had brought food and started a bonfire. It was times like these that everyone felt at peace, in the midst of reconstruction of Cocoon and branching out into Pulse. Sazh and Dajh were playing down by the water, while Snow and Serah were huddled next to each other by the fire. Hope noticed that Lightning was off to the side by herself, gazing up through the shell of Cocoon to the stars that lay outside the dome. Seeing the chance right before his eyes, he took it.

"Hey Light…What're you up to?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing…Just looking at the stars. Our lives haven't exactly been easygoing and slow lately," she said, referring to the arduous work she had in the Guardian Corps and general work being done in the society and government. "I'm just admiring what I've missed."

A silence fell between the two, but it was natural and comforting. During their days as l'Cie, when it was just the two of them, sometimes they would stop talking. They would take in all that was around them, or even themselves. It was a nice little moment of introspection and appreciation.

"My mom once told me that people used to wish on stars like these." He heard a small "hmmph" before continuing, "I just did. Would you like to hear what for?"

She gave him a reassuring look. "I wished that someone would wait for me."

Lightning was confused, what exactly did he mean? Her face showed this, which he noticed, but he would answer that soon enough.

"I've gotten very attached to someone. Someone special. She means a lot to me. And I've been lucky to know her so well too. I really like her. I want to be with her."

"Why do you want her to wait, of all things?"

"She's older than me. Age would be a problem to some. But I'll be eighteen in two years. It's not that long of a wait." A flash went through Lightning's mind…He couldn't be meaning what she thought…

"…Will she wait for you?"

"I don't know…Will you?"

_Damn_, she thought. Lightning was by no means a dense or dumb person. She assumed Hope had a crush on her long ago, as evidenced by how he always clung to her, and by how she sometimes felt him staring at her. However, she thought it was a simple little crush he would grow out of in a few months. And besides, she didn't mind having someone close to her. A good friend.

Hope scooted over towards Lightning, and took her hand with his. He looked into her eyes and said "Light…I really do care about you a lot. More than I could ever say even if you gave me a thousand years to do so. Light, I lo—"

"Hope. I can't," she interrupted.

"But wait, just—"

"I'm sorry. I can't, Hope. I don't see you that way."

"Light, I love you. I know I do. Is that worth anything?" he asked, in an almost pleading voice. She really wanted him to stop. He was making it harder than she would have liked. She wanted this to be painless.

"I…appreciate it. I really do. I'm sorry if you misinterpreted anything, but I didn't mean to send you any signals. But I don't have those feelings for you. I don't have them in general. I'm damaged goods. I can't love you like that." She saw how his eyes gave everything away. He was crushed.

"…You'll find someone, Hope. You're a good kid. Someone who will feel the same way that can return your feelings. Someone who deserves you. Someone that you deserve too…But it won't be me."

"Light, let me just show you. Let me—"

"Hope. Stop. You'll just get hurt. Please accept this." Her tone was imperative. He knew it was futile to continue. This was what was to be. This was not the smooth confession he had envisioned all that time ago. He was crushed; rejected.

"I still want to be your friend."

He said nothing, choosing to look down at his feet instead. His world had crashed into one million tiny pieces. But this was Light. He had to hold it together. He remembered that there are just some things you do, after all.

He forced himself to gain his composure, and to will in any tears that would fall from his eyes. He couldn't show weakness now.

"Yes. We can. I want that. I don't want this to ruin our friendship or anything…Can we still be friends?" He forced his eyes to meet her, and to subdue any sadness he was feeling. This was for the best. Their relationship was special, even though it wasn't romantic. He would kill any romantic feelings for her, if it meant they could still be friends.

"Of course," she said, before enveloping him in a hug. It was hard. He wanted to be holding her in his arms, but to the tune of good news. "Hope, I'm sorry."

"It's ok." He said it, but he wasn't sure if he believed it. He released the hug, and forced a smile onto his face. She seemed to have bought it, for she reassuringly squeezed his shoulder.

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And then he woke up. Back to the present, in his nineteen year old body. It was now five years after the fall of Cocoon, three years after his rejection by Lightning. He felt groggy. He released a yawn and squinted at the clock on the wall—8 AM. Wonderful night of sleep, he thought.

A voice soon came from his desk phone. "Mr. Estheim?" said the voice, in a light feminine tone.

"Yes."

"Good morning, sir. Your full agenda for today is…"

"Eh, save it for later. What's first on the list?"

"You have a tech demo at 8:15 for the—"

"Is the car ready?"

"Yes, sir."

With that, Hope got up from his desk. He usually did hang up unexpectedly on his secretary, but he didn't care—for the amount she was getting paid, she could care less too. He ran a hand through his hair, and threw his suit jacket on. He exited his office, and nodded at his secretary. When he got the ground floor, he noticed his driver waiting for him in the front lobby, ready to go.

"Take me home first. Then we can get to the demo."

"Yes, Mr. Estheim."

As Hope was driven to his house, he began to reflect on his life. Ever since Lightning rejected him, Hope began to wallow in his feelings. He needed a way to forget about the pain, an outlet for it all—for Hope, that meant he would divert his attention and energy into his studies. Hour after hour, Hope would pour himself into his books, and before he knew it, he had breezed through high school. College demanded more work from him, but since he was so entirely studious now, that too became easy. He eventually developed his own thesis, theory, and inventions, which his professors took an extreme liking too. To say Hope had achieved a lot in a short amount of time was an understatement. To compound all of this, he was still very young. Hope soon found work with the R&D department in an engineering firm in Palumpolum. He too took that by storm, improving existing technology to levels never seen before.

Hope was awfully good at mathematics, engineering, and applied sciences, and soon took the lead on several projects. He worked quickly and efficiently, so much so that his colleagues couldn't keep up. He was your typical Machiavellian genius—probably the best that this generation would see.

Seeing opportunity before his eyes, Hope left that company in the dust to form his own—Estheim Industries. It was devoted to improving existing technology and inventing new ones. This caught the attention of several civilian contractors, but his largest client was the military, specifically, the Guardian Corps. He was always working on the "next big thing." He usually exceeded expectations, for his designs and schematics were so revolutionary.

This success left Hope with a titanic amount of wealth, which he spent rather easily—it regenerated faster than he could spend it. On top of this, Hope had become rather well known in Cocoon society. His technology was _everywhere_. You had to be living in a hole or cave to not know his name. As if he couldn't get any luckier, his now older, more mature looks even caught the attention of several young women. Girls wanted to be with him, guys wanted to be him.

However, all of this wealth, fame, and success came at a cost. In the midst of his whirlwind of a life, Hope forgot his friends. His work kept him far away from Bodum, and for many long hours. When he wasn't working, he was finding a way to entertain himself, or even others, depending on if he had a date or not (Chances were that he did).

The past few years had many opportunities for Hope, and he drowned in it. He didn't have time for his friends. He even heard he missed Snow and Serah's wedding. This made him feel sad, but he did have one consolation. He didn't have time to see Lightning. Working had been his way to get away. It had been his way to forget about the feelings he had for her, to forget about the pain of his rejection. To forget about how he would never be with her.

He had learned to shut his feelings of her out. He had learned to live with an iron heart—one that wouldn't get attached or feel romantically towards her. One that would be durable and resistant to whatever came its way. One that wouldn't feel pain again. One that was invulnerable. His heart was sealed shut.

After Hope had cleaned himself up and thrown on a new suit, he made his way back to his driver and car.

"Where is the tech demo today? Who is it for?"

"Bodum, sir. For the Guardian Corps."

"…Interesting."

"We'll be late, sir. Demo was to start an hour ago."

"It's ok. They know me."

As Hope's car sped away to the seaside town, he thought back to when he was last there—it was when he had confessed to Lightning. He wondered if he would see her there. Her rejection was the last time he saw her. He had done fine, coping with her with her not around. But if she was present, things would be different. It was time to see whether or not his iron heart was as strong as he thought it was.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it so far. Hope it came out decent so far. Don't know yet when I'll be able to write, but if things go well, I should be able to work on this again soon.

Please leave a review, and I encourage you to try writing your own Hope/Light fic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Iron Heart** – Chapter II

A/N: I would've had this chapter up sooner, but between summer courses and work, I couldn't. Luckily, I only have work to contend with now. And watching the World Cup. Those two will interfere with my ability/time to write…But here we go.

Originally planned for this story to be relatively short (3, maybe 5 chapters?), but I think it will go on longer than expected. At least, I think so. On a side note, I'm going to throw in 2 allusions to something. Because I have no originality whatsoever when it comes to making up names for things. So if you catch them…Uh, cool?

As always, don't own FF13 or characters, just writing this for fun.

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Hope's driver sped along from his large mansion in the sleek, luxury class, black sedan. Hope just listened to music while on his PDA. He was still busy messing around with the blue prints he had been trying to figure out earlier. The puzzle before him refused to be solved; however, he was confident that if he could design his next big project successfully, it would propel him further than anyone would have ever believed.

Traffic on the way out of Cocoon was a nightmare. Many people made trips down to Pulse, whether it be to visit the new settlements, move to the new settlements, or to safely explore the newfound world. This traffic, coupled with some detours Hope decided to take (A guy had to eat, of course) led to him being almost three hours late to the military tech demo. This didn't bother Hope—he was a famous, rich, socialite and inventor. He could afford to be fashionable late. Just about anyone would wait up for him. Well, at least almost anyone would…There was one exception that came to mind. However, Hope dismissed his thoughts of the pink haired beauty in a moment.

When Hope arrived to the large expanse on Gran Pulse, he saw many upper echelon Guardian Corps top brass looking irate. In tow were lower ranking members who were forced to withstand the sun beating down on them, while waiting for Hope to arrive. In all, there couldn't be more than fifteen or so privates, and five officers with higher ranks. His car came to a halt a few feet away, and Hope stepped out, with a grin on his face.

"Had a little trouble getting here, you wouldn't believe who I saw on the way…" said Hope to the Majors and Generals before him, with that trademark Estheim grin.

"ESTHEIM! We've been out here for THREE HOURS? JUST WHERE IN THE **HELL** HAVE YOU BEEN?" asked a furious general.

Hope entered his suave mediator paradigm, and poured on the sauce. After assuaging the general with calm words, reminders of what a good dinner his wife had prepared at his house when he was over, and promises on discounts for future Estheim goods, the general was remarkably content. Hope only needed to win over this man, for the rest of the Guardian Corps officers, soon followed suit. He scanned over the small crowd before him—all men from what he could see. No Lightning, he thought. He was a little disappointed, for he wanted to at the very least, see her. He'd have to test his defenses another time, for now it was show time.

"Gentlemen, we are gathered here today…Not for a wedding, but for my latest innovation in gunblade technology," Hope began. He had retrieved a metal suitcase from his car, and opened it. Out from the suitcase was a gunblade that looked like a cross between the already existing Blazefire Saber and Lionheart models. Being right off the production line, it was gunmetal grey.

"Really, Estheim? So what?" asked a soldier, who already seemed to be equipped with a Blazefire Saber. Hope deduced that he was probably a competent solider, for gunblades were only assigned to the elite.

"This is the latest model I've created. Affectionately known by model number as RX-78-2, I like to call it the _Raikiri_."

"Sometimes on the battlefield, or even against all the monsters out here, you need to pack more of a punch—after all, Behemoths don't go down after one swing," replied Hope, before holding down a trigger. The soldiers watched in amazement as an electrical current ran down the length of the blade. "Holding down the trigger runs a _very_ strong electrical current down the blade, effectively increasing cutting power. Not to mention, anything that survives the first swing will be in too much pain or damage to retaliate very strongly."

Hope could tell they were impressed by this already, but he had one more trick up his sleeve. He switched the weapon to its gun form, and aimed at a rock off in the distance. Lining up his sights, he fired at it—and everyone watched as the rock soon exploded.

"This model is also capable of firing explosive rounds. But if you don't like those, it also fires incendiary rounds, tear gas rounds, knockout gas rounds, smoke rounds, shotgun rounds, or the regular bullets if you're boring." He quickly demonstrated each of the different types of rounds, and it amazed the Guardian Corps as to how that many different types of rounds could fit in there. Hope inwardly grinned at all of the open mouths before him, and the envious look the lower ranked privates shot at their superiors. They had wanted this.

"If you're thinking this may make the gunblade more complicated or delicate, you'd be wrong. It's made from a composite material of adamantite, tetrahedron, and uranite. The right ratio leads to a _very_ durable metal that retains a relatively lightweight. And I've designed it from the ground up with soldiers in mind, and I know that you guys hate sloppy or complicated maintenance." Hope's mind flashed to his memories of Lightning constantly disassembling and cleaning her gunblade many nights when the gang would stop and rest for the night.

Hope ended his demo with once again demonstrating the explosive rounds—the army buffs really liked that one.

"So how many would you like? I can cut you a decent deal on them. This is cutting edge tech, and it makes whatever you have now look like an antique."

"Not so fast, Estheim. We're gonna have to field test this before we commit to anything," said one of the higher ranking officers.

"No problem…I've got ten with me. Go crazy. You'll be calling me back soon enough."

Hope turned to retrieve the other gunblades from his car, with the help of his driver. As Hope reached in he heard someone say "Lieutenant Farron! Please step forward."

Hope stopped mid-reach. His throat suddenly went dry. So…She is here, he thought. He took a deep breath, and composed himself. He grabbed a case from the car, and turned around. Before him stood Lightning.

Hope soon found himself smiling. He didn't intend to, but his face moved without his brain's command. He didn't see her before. She must've been somewhere in the back or showed up late—but it didn't really matter at this point. She was still as beautiful as he remembered. Her pink hair went well with her creamy skin. Her lips seemed to shine a little bit, and it immediately caught his eyes. Her eyes were a brilliant azure, and they were as piercing as ever. She didn't seem to change at all, except her rank, which he had noticed.

"Estheim…This is Lieutenant Farron. She is one of our best soldiers. And one of the most proficient at using the gunblade," said one of the top brass.

Hope extended his hand, and so did she. Their hands enveloped each others, and he squeezed lightly. She squeezed back harder.

"Hello there…Nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Farron" said Hope with a mischievous smirk.

"It's Lieutenant Farron, Mr. Estheim," she quipped back, also with a small smirk. It would have been more expressive, but Lightning remembered she wouldn't show this side of her in front of everyone in the Corps.

"Right," Hope smiled back.

"So, Farron, is this kid's gunblade as good as he says it is?" asked one of the generals.

Lightning picked up the gunblade with one hand, holding it out as if to test its balance. It seemed to rest fine on her fingers without dipping to either side when she tried to balance it. She then flipped it up into the air, and caught it with her right hand, taking a few diagonal slashes with it. It really is as light as he says, she thought. Then, she tried her hand at a few jabs and stabs with it. One of the privates brought over a dummy that Lightning decided to test the electrical current out on. With the press of the trigger, the blade flowed with power, and it honestly made the dummy look like it had been made of paper. Just like Sparkstrike, she deduced. She then switched to gun mode, and tested the various rounds. It held more ammo than her she originally thought, and wondered what shape the rounds were in to conserve space.

"Well, Lieutenant?"

"Not bad…For an Estheim weapon."

"Excuse her, kid, she's pretty fond of her current gunblade," replied the general, alluding to the weapon strapped into Lightning's holster. Hope noticed it had a dark colored blade, and upon looking at it further, realized it was the Enkindler. Specifically, the Enkindler that Hope himself helped Light to customize, all those years ago. Either she must really like it, or it has held up VERY well over the years, he thought. A strange feeling welled up inside him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he quickly dismissed it (yet again). Now wasn't the time for strange feelings—the time for that was three years ago.

Hope had conversed for some more with the high ranking officials, tying up loose ends and transferring the rest of the gunblades to them. Lightning would hold on to hers in order to field test it. Soon enough, the soldiers returned to their deployment vehicles and Hope to his own car.

"Lieutenantt. Farron, ride with Mr. Estheim," said one of the Captains of the group. He then turned to Hope and said "She'll be your escort until we make it to Cocoon. We'll form up around your car. You'll be safe with her around."

Wonderful, Hope thought. He thought about what he would say to her in private. Would they stay silent for the relatively lengthy trip? Would she bring up that the last time she saw him, was essentially when he tried to confess his feelings to her? Hope entered the car first, with Lightning following him. She sat next to him, but there was only a space of a little under two feet between them. The convoy started to move out, four Guardian Corps vehicles moving perpendicular to Hope's sedan. After they had been moving for a few minutes, Hope decided to break the silence. He could only stare at his PDA, and she could only stare nonchalantly out the window for so long.

"It's nice to see you again, Light," he said with a smile.

Lightning turned to face him, his words sinking into her head. "Yes...Though it's been so long." She moved her hand to his shoulder, and lightly squeezed it. "But it's nice to see you too." Hope could have sworn she looked him in the eye at that comment, and that her gaze lingered for a second or two longer than expected. She broke off the eye contact, and her hand moved up to ruffle his hair. Whatever she may have been thinking was broken off by the gesture she had used to do to him a lot when he was younger.

"We've all missed you. It was like you fell off the face of Cocoon for a while there."

"Heh…In some ways, you're right…I've been _very_ busy lately. I'm sorry I've fallen out of touch with everyone." Hope began to feel bad. He had grown so close to his group of friends, closer than some people would ever experience in their lives. But, in a moment of sadness, he took steps to distance himself. He didn't think that he would end up distancing himself from the rest of his friends—he only intended to move away from Lightning…

"It's ok. We hear a lot about you…From the news, of course. Or the tabloids."

"You shouldn't really read those. Good to start a fire, but that's about it."

"Oh, it's not me who reads them—Snow does. Yeah, I know. But I suppose it's a start, him _reading_ and all…"

Hope let out a genuine laugh. He hadn't done that in years. Whenever he was with other wealthy socialites or other higher ups in Cocoon, he always had to force his laughter. Their jokes never made sense, or were never funny to begin with. There were countless dinner parties where all he wanted to do was eat and leave, but he had to stay to socialize with _these_ snobby, extravagant people. He realized in that moment that he missed Lightning's brand of dry humor. He missed normal, regular, everyday people. He saw that she flashed him a small smile at this.

"I just got really involved with some many things, whether it be school, a job, or this company. I know I have to catch up with you all sometime. But there is one thing I'd like to ask now…Snow and Serah…They're married now, right?"

"Yes, they are."

"Do they want to kill me? I really tried to make it, but…"

"Hm…Maybe not kill you, but I'm not going to lie to you. They were a bit disappointed."

Hope felt guilty again. He tried to schedule _everything_ around their wedding. He really wanted to go and be there for the happy couple. However, Hope was just on the cusp of a radical new technology when their wedding was announced. He _needed _to work on it, or else he wouldn't be able to grasp this concept or idea again. It was a special type of reactor that gave out copious amounts of energy. If he could perfect it, it would lead to so much more, acting as a stepping stone of sorts. Truth be told, he did perfect it. And now he was working on something big. That reactor's creation led to what he was working on now—but was struggling to complete.

"Tell me about it. Please," asked Hope, his voice reflecting his inner turmoil.

"Of course…But…Don't beat yourself up over it. Should you have come? Yes. But that is the past now, and you can't change it." Lightning scooted over slightly, and put her hand on his chin, and pushed it up. Her fingers were so soft, for being a soldier's. "Chin up. All you can do now is make it up to them. And you're a good friend—they'll always forgive you. They would just like to see you again, is all. We all would like to." Hope felt better. He had missed this too about Lightning. She had a soothing effect on him, knowing what to do or say to calm him down or make him feel better. For the past couple of years, he had relied on work to take his mind off of everything. He had relied on drowning himself in it so he didn't have the time or energy to care about anything else. But it was nice to have someone care for him for once. He would have someone to lean on. He was being reminded of why he fell in love with her in the first place…

"Thanks, Light…" Hope said. Lightning took her hand off his chin, and gave him a reassuring smile. Over the next hour or so, she recounted every single detail of the wedding. Hope took in every single word that left her velvety lips, and he hung onto every one. He was very attentive, and her attention to detail made him almost feel like he was there too. Lightning's story was only interrupted once, by a transmission she received on her earpiece. Apparently, there were a dozen or so Adamantoises crossing their route, and to avoid being trampled to death, the convoy had to take a drastically different route around the herd. The detour would add more time to their travel, and especially so because the new route was over rough terrain, which would be difficult to traverse at a high speed. Hope did not mind, he liked not having to worry about work, and he was able to hear about the wedding.

"Sounded like fun…So Light, did you _actually_ wear a dress? Dance?" Hope had asked with a smirk.

Lightning crossed her arms in front of her chest, and then closed her eyes seemingly in disgust. "Unfortunately. But I managed to avoid dancing."

Hope smiled at the thought of this. He didn't mean to, but he automatically did. She didn't dance with another guy, he thought…But then he had to do a double take. He dismissed the thought again—he had been doing that a lot lately. If Light wanted to dance with another guy, she should. She could. He didn't have a say. Not like they were romantically linked or anything, he said to himself. There shouldn't be any time or space for thoughts like these, he thought. Stay strong, he said to himself. He was going to will romantic thoughts away.

"We've talked a lot about me, and the others. But what about you? What have you been up to?" inquired Hope.

"There isn't much to say about me. I'm the same. I'm a Lieutenant now, that's about the only change."

"You don't live with Serah and Snow…do you?" asked Hope, wondering how awkward that would be if she said yes.

"Oh God, no. I moved into my own place before the wedding. I didn't want to get in between them. I have my own apartment in Bodum now."

"By yourself?"

"Yes," she answered quickly, almost reminding herself how lonely it could get. Hope picked up on this. "I'm sure you could find a roommate. Look online or something."

"No…I don't want to live with a stranger. Besides, I'm usually on the base a lot, so I really only sleep there most of the time."

"Assume you're still working yourself crazy then?"

"Heh…I could say the same about you, you know." She was right, Hope thought. They were both in the same boat: workaholics. Only difference was that he went out and lived an extravagant life in his free time, while she lived alone. He felt sad for her. While their lives looked different on the surface, they were both alone. Hope just decided to fill the void with the frills of life.

"They're talking about giving me more of break, less work and all. We'll see. Still a lot of work to do on this," she said, referencing the new gunblade by her side.

"It really is quite a work. I'm impressed. I'm proud too. You came up with this, and it takes a lot to improve what already works fine. You went outside the box—I don't think I ever could."

"Thanks, Light." There she went again, making him feel good, he thought. He wasn't going to fall in love with her again, that much he thought was sure—but she did a good job of reeling him back in.

As a comfortable silence fell between them, the convoy suddenly stopped. They were informed that one of the vehicles received a flat tire from running on the rough terrain for so long. Hmmph, maybe I should work on some kind of vehicle for them too, Hope said in his head. His thoughts were interrupted by a yell of "Look OUT!" and copious amounts of gunfire. Hope looked around to the source for the Corps aggression—he didn't find it, at least not on land, but in the _air_.

"Hope! Get back in the car!" yelled Lightning. Hope did as he said, but looked out the window when he was safely inside. In the air, Hope saw a swarm of Svarogs. At least ten that he could see. They were diving at the now stalled convoy. Guns were ablaze as they fired volley after volley at the swarm. Hope wanted to help, but he was useless now that he couldn't cast magic. He would also use his own new _Raikiri_, but the Corps had all of them. He heard the familiar bang of the gun part of the gunblade, and was glad they were being put to use. Can't get any more authentic field combat experience than this, he thought. The gunblades were working perfectly, but the soldiers couldn't aim worth a damn. Gunblades were meant for the experienced—it looks like the privates were eager to test them, and very few of them were proficient in its use. Lightning only seemed to be the capable one. She had managed to land several shots, and even killed one. However, the inexperienced soldiers kept missing the swift Svarogs as they filtered through the air, dodging and weaving around the explosions. Hope also saw that they started picking off some of the soldiers, one by one…

Lightning ran over the Hope's car, and he opened the window. Her forehead glistened with sweat as she fired off several rounds in between orders.

"Get out of here! Follow the ridge to a lake, then head north for a few kilometers! We'll hold them off! We're signaling for back up!"

Before Hope could protest, time froze for a second. He heard the Svarog before he actually saw it. It was bellowing roars and diving. Right for Lightning. In an instant, he flung open the door, and pulled her in. Lightning was surprised that she didn't notice the winged beast, and that Hope reacted so sharply. Had it been any other time, they both would have been embarrassed that Lightning was on top of Hope in the backseat, straddling him, her body essentially melting into his own.

The Svarog was not happy that its meal had been stolen from him, and now that he was close to the ground, right next to the car, he tried to fit his head in through the comparatively tiny window. The frame of the door buckled as this monster tried to force its way in. Over the crinkling and crackling of metal, Hope could only hear gunfire and the screams of men. What happened next was inconceivable. The landed Svarog took off to the air, and dove one again, but this time with its second head. It cut through the first half of the car, driver and all. Hope and Lightning remained compressed in the back part of the vehicle—the front half had been swallowed whole.

The Svarog was shot down, but as soon as it died, another one swooped down on the half eaten car, and now picked up the considerably lighter vehicle. Lightning shielded Hope with her body, refusing to let the monster pick him apart. The monster scooped the car up in his mouth, and took off into the sky. The duo couldn't believe this was happening: the Svarog was carrying them away, and quickly! Before them in the gaping hole of what was remaining of the car, they were able to look straight down the fiend's throat. The smell was worse, if anything.

They remained in the air for who knows how long—it felt like an eternity. Lightning shot out the rear window, and looked out—they were far from the rest of the convoy, and high off the ground.

"Hope, can we survive from this height?" asked a frantic Lightning. Hope looked out the window, and guesstimated the numbers—this car was constructed from his design, and had a roll cage (which the Svarog had conveniently eaten half of).

"It's a long shot—but if we don't, he'll eat us first!"

"Right!" Lightning shouted. "Hold onto me! Don't let go no matter what!" Hope did as she said. If they survived, they could worry about the close proximity later. Lightning grabbed her _Raikiri_ and switched it to gun mode, then selected an incendiary round. She aimed right down the throat of the Svarog, and right before she pulled the trigger, thought "This will hurt."

The Svarog let out a monstrous wail, and released its grip. Lightning saw as they descended that the monster was descending too, and just as rapidly as them. Lightning weaved her arms around Hope, and he did the same. They both buried their faces into each other's shoulders, wanting this to end. The initial impact with the ground was thunderous, and it hurt too. What they didn't expect was the numerous rolls that followed. The wreckage of the car rolled down a ridge, gaining speed at first, but eventually slowing down. Both of their eyes were closed, but the vertigo they felt from the rapid movements remained. Through this, their clutch on each other tightened. The car eventually came to a stop, miraculously in mostly one piece—due to the strength and design of the roll cage. Hope opened his eyes, and looked at Lightning. Lightning opened her eyes and looked at Hope.

"Hope." "Light." They both spoke at the same time, before their eyelids fell. Their lifeless bodies lay still, remaining in an embrace.

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A/N: Didn't think this chapter would run to this length. Oh well, more to enjoy I suppose. I tried addressing the critique that the first chapter seemed rushed—let me know if this is any better.

Please review, and try your hand at your own Light/Hope fic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Iron Heart – **Chapter III

A/N: This chapter took some time to write, as I had a case of writer's block and unsatisfied feelings towards it…But alas, here it is, and I believe I'm finally content with it. On a slightly unrelated note, I have some more ideas for Hope/Light fanfics—hopefully I can get to them once this story is completed. However, I'm still not sure as to how long this will run, but we'll see.

**BTW, had trouble uploading and editing this onto the site. So if you get notifications saying there's a bunch of new chapters, this is the only new chapter up (Chapter III)**

Don't own FF13, story purely for fun, etc.

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Lightning was the first one to stir to consciousness. Her head felt like it was on fire, and even the slightest noise from the surrounding fauna and environment felt like massive earthquakes and bombs going off in her head. Despite this, she made herself open her eyes. The first thing she saw was a color. Silver. She realized it was Hope's hair, and that his and her arms were still firmly wrapped around each other, their bodies almost merging into one. A ravenous blush tried to find footing on her cheeks, but she denied it.

She tried to move, finding her body to be very stiff. How long had they been laying there unconscious? Lightning tried to assess her own injuries—relatively few. Nothing major aside from cuts, scrapes, and bruises. And she probably looked like a mess too, but that was not much of a concern. She untangled herself carefully from Hope, and looked over his injuries. He had the same minor ailments as her, except his right arm looked _very_ out of place. It appeared to be broken, bending at an unnatural angle.

She then tried to rouse him from his sleep. "Hope. Hope. HOPE." No luck. He was out, but then a thought crossed her mind—was he still alive? Fear coursed throughout her body. Lightning then fumbled to find his pulse, and was immediately relieved to find one. "Thank God…I don't know what I'd do if…" But then she stopped herself. This wasn't the time for negative thoughts like that. And besides, he was _alive_. He was still with her. He was still in her life. She would be forever grateful for that.

Lightning entered survival mode, and immediately scouted the area. The wreck of the car was falling apart, but its shell could act as a suffice shelter for the night. Speaking of which, it seemed to be approaching evening—they must have been out for a few hours. Thank goodness no prowling, hungry animal had found them in their unconscious state. Lightning took her new gunblade, leaving the older Enkindler with Hope. Shouldn't be defenseless in case he wakes up and I'm not around, she thought. She quickly scoured the area, taking note of the natural landmarks, water sources, and anything that could be eaten. She determined that they were in a valley, but luckily, a running river with clean water was nearby, and so were some colorful fruits.

She gathered what water she could in her "made for one person only" canteen and some of the fruit, and then made her way back to camp. She used an incendiary round from her weapon to start a fire, and then hoarded wood to keep it alive through the night.

After doing the necessary steps to ensure an easy night, Lightning went over to Hope. She carefully removed his suit jacket, and tore strips off of it to secure the splint she applied to his arm. She then took a portion of her long, thin, red cape, and fashioned it into a sling for when he would wake up and want to move around. She then did her best to clean his cuts, and pressed a wet rag to his forehead every once in a while. Before long, it was night, and Lightning was alone with the fire and unconscious Hope.

As the campfire danced, she munched on a tiny fruit that resembled a mango. It was sweet and juicy, and well worth the effort to climb a tree to retrieve it. Hope occasionally moved in his sleep, but never awoke. Lightning found herself moving over to him, and observing his features. She hadn't had a moment to get a really good look at him, ever since the expo. He had definitely grown taller, about five inches taller than herself. His jaw line was much more defined, and so were his cheek bones—he definitely did not resemble the child she knew. His hair was also longer, and still as wild as ever. She ran her fingers through his hair, then found herself slowly drawing circles and massing his scalp. One thing was certain—this boy, no, man, was an attractive one. She felt her cheeks warm up as she dismissed the intruding thought.

Sitting by Hope made her realize how much of an impact he had on her life. The past three years were relatively lonely, so to speak. Yes, she still saw Serah, Snow, and Sazh—but she often found herself missing Hope. Why? It was a question she often asked herself. The old adage, that you don't know what you have until its gone, rang unquestionably true for her. She missed him. He was a pleasant reminder of the good things in life. A true friend that always had her back. One that always made her happy. One that always made her _smile_, which very few could ever say they were successful in doing so.

When Hope fell out of touch with everyone, it was as if a gaping hole had been left in her life. She continued her usual routine of work and normalcy. But she didn't have anything to look forward to. Hope was gone, far away and busy—the cheerful boy growing up, leaving her and the rest of them in the dust. She thought she could fill the gap in her life with work, but it didn't work nearly as well as she had liked. It didn't work at all. She missed him terribly, and was constantly reminded of this. If only she knew how important he was to her…If only she had _realized_ it earlier…Maybe things could have worked out differently.

Lightning was shaken out of her thoughts by Hope stirring.

His head was spinning, and pulsing with pain. It was as if a loud explosion had gone off right next to his ear, and he was floored. He tried to open his eyes, but it was so hard and tiresome. After composing himself, he managed to do so. The picture he saw was very fuzzy, but it soon came into focus. It was Lightning, hovering only a mere two inches or so over his face. The sudden close up made him even dizzier, but it was dismissed when he realized how close she actually was, and how beautiful she looked too. Hope soon discovered she had a concerned look on her face that yelled "Are you okay?" Her deep, cerulean eyes reflected this sentiment. She put her hands on both sides of his face, and held it in place.

"Don't move. You're hurt more than me, and getting up could make things worse. Lay still. You can move later when you're ready, but stay still. I'm afraid you're concussed, so we'll take it easy until I'm sure you're fine," she told him, in a protective manner. Hope opened his mouth to say he was fine, but soon found his lips on a cool, metal surface—her canteen. She eased the water into his mouth, while asking if he was hungry. His stomach growled, and she smiled at him. Hope didn't think he'd ever get used to how stunning she looked when she smiled. "I'll take that as a yes," she said. She sliced the gathered fruit into small pieces, and helped him eat them. She cared for him tenderly, he thought.

"Thanks for earlier. That Svarog almost got me…I was careless."

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for…Well, now. I suppose we're even then," he said back with a small smile.

"So what now, Light?"

"My comm. link is broken. I tried it several times—all I get is static. We can't do anything now. But by day we can send smoke signals. We survive until then. We are completely off course due to the attack. It'd be a miracle to find a heading now."

"…Where's the car? Er, or what's left of it?"

"Don't strain your neck to see, but it's behind you. I moved you out to get into some open, fresh air. Worry about your tech tomorrow. You sleep now, I'll stand guard tonight."

Hope wanted to protest, but knew he couldn't do very much in his current state. He then reluctantly accepted her orders. "When my head stops spinning, I'll get to work ASAP."

Lightning shot him a puzzled look. "I'll get your comm. working. And anything else I can think of," he said, before succumbing to a deep sleep.

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Hope woke in the morning to find some sunlight coming through holes in the roof of the wreckage of the car. Light must've moved me, he thought. He managed to sit up, and saw her stoking the fire, already putting in green leaves to produce black smoke. Hope realized that his arm was in pain—and that Lightning had splinted it. He then saw the sling fashioned out of her own cape, and put it on before venturing closer to her. She appeared to be a little groggy, as she probably slept in short intervals through the night.

"Morning" they both said to each other, before eating their meager breakfast of fruit and water. Hope moved to stand, but Light was there to help him. His legs were still rather sore, and she had him lean on her to move. He was rather close for comfort, he thought. He could see the texture of her skin, and all the other intricate details that only an intimate lover would know. He then wondered if she had one…Probably not, he deduced. Lightning wasn't one to get that close to people…An exception being him.

"To the car. And show me your comm. headset." He then pulled out his PDA—still barely functioning, the screen cracked around the edges. He sorted through the wreck, and what little technology they had. He even looked at the gunblades for a minute, before dismissing them. The protection they offered, and possible use in visual representation to a search team was far too valuable to disassemble.

Hope then picked up stick, and began drawing in the dirt, and doing mathematical equations. His remaining good hand worked in a fervent pace. Lighting was amazed at this—this was the work of one of the world's brightest and most innovative minds at work in front of her. Her studious gaze was interrupted when Hope said "I'm done. But I'm going to need your help."

He explained what he wanted to do. He was going to create a sort of satellite dish from the car, that would send out an SOS signal with a description of their area, that was to be produced from the remains of his PDA and her comm. link. The exterior of the car, or parts of it, would be fashioned into the dish. The rear axle and wheel would be fashioned into a rotating base, that would send the signal out in one direction for thirty minutes, before rotating. It sounded complicated, but Hope could get the work done—if he had two hands. He would have to do what he could, then direct Lightning with what he couldn't accomplish.

Lighting went to work fashioning a satellite dish. She used her _Raikiri_ to cut the metal—the electrical current doing wonders to improve her cutting power. She was done relatively quickly, before listening to Hope's instructions to fashion together the rotating base. That was more complex, but with his guidance, it was done. Hope needed assistance with the digital aspect of the build—he was right-handed, and it didn't help him with the fragile circuitry that he had to work with his left. So, he had Light take his place, her smaller, more nimble hands following his every word. Hope looked over her shoulder, his chest pressing into her back. She felt his heart beat, and could have sworn it was racing at first, before it slowed down. She felt his breath on her neck—on her skin. It was warm and inviting, and part of her was driven wild. Luckily he was focused on the task at hand, and not her bodily reactions. She also couldn't help but notice that her heart swelled in this setting. They worked this close and intimately for two hours, before the machine was up and running, sending the signal in all directions.

"Now what?" Lightning asked.

"We wait…Heh…And we hope they get our message."

It was sometime in the afternoon when they were done working. At Hope's insistence, Lightning rested. He said that she was up most of the night, and needed the sleep. She resisted at first, but he made sense. She reluctantly curled up underneath a tree nearby, and went to sleep, only after reminding him to wake her around dinner time.

Hope took the experimental gunblade from Lightning, and mulled it over in his left hand. Not to blow his own horn, but even he thought it was impressive. He wanted to keep people safe, and that was his goal in mind when he designed it. Specifically, he wanted to keep that strong, beautiful, pink haired solider safe…He didn't like admitting it, but she was in mind all throughout the design process. His eyes travelled over to her sleeping form. He watched as her chest rose and fell as she slept. He began to blush as he was staring at her chest—but luckily she really was sleeping. He wanted to go over to her, and run his hands through her long hair. To hold her in his arms, and leave a trail of kisses along her exposed neck…

But then he stopped. No, he thought. You're falling again. Stop it. This doesn't help anyone. This doesn't help you. Remember? Don't you remember? She rejected you. Grow up, Estheim. Those times, these feelings—they're done with. They're over. You'll get hurt again. Remember that pain? What happened to your iron heart? Forget those feelings. _**Push **_them away.

Hope took his thoughts to heart, and did exactly that. He pushed those romantic feelings out. He had to, to protect himself. He was leaving himself exposed—open to the idea of loving her again. But that led nowhere. It was a dead end. It couldn't be. Push them away, he thought. Push.

It was then that Hope had an epiphany—push. He began scribbling in the dirt. He suddenly had a new idea to try out when they were rescued. A defensive system. One that sent out a massive force that could repel or repulse anything coming your way. He'd have to run the figures and simulations, but a few behemoths could be sent packing. He was so focused on his work, that he didn't notice Lightning waking on her own in time for supper.

She handed him fruit—it had to be shoved into his face to get him to eat and stop working. He was quiet all throughout their feast of water and fruit. He would take a bit, set down the food, and scribble in the dirt some more. He wouldn't talk very much that night. He would continue playing with numbers and variables up until he slept. Lightning asked him about the idea, and he briefly told her. All she got was that his invention would push or repel things away. She wondered where he got that thought…

Hope reminded her to wake him up for his night shift, before facing away and going to sleep. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something had changed. What happened? Everything was fine, but Hope changed when she awoke. This wasn't the Hope she knew. He was different. And she didn't like it. She wanted Hope back. _My_ Hope, she thought. She stopped herself, and this time couldn't prevent the blush that spread to her cheeks, or the pulsations of her heart—did she really just think that? She tried her best to dismiss these strange feelings, but they _would not_ go away…

As Hope lay on the ground, trying to fall asleep, he couldn't help but feel he was being watched. He turned over in his "sleep" and opened his eyes ever so slightly to get a look at Light. He saw that she was staring at him, with her cheeks unnaturally red, and her hand placed over her heart.

Hope was confused. What was happening? He closed his eyes for good this time, and tried to go back to sleep. However, as much as he wanted to push his feelings for Light aside, a part of him fought desperately against that. A part of him said that to do so was _wrong_. This small part of him wanted to embrace the feelings he had for her, for they didn't die in the three years he was not in her life. It was a persistent feeling, one that he had battled all through the years. He knew this little guy wouldn't go down without a fight.

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A/N: A few of you thought Hope and Light were dead at the end of Chapter II. Didn't mean to have them portrayed as dead, just the fact that they were _**like**_ they were dead :P

Anyway, there you go. Hope you liked it. Shorter than the previous chapter, but whatever. Please leave a review, and try your hand at writing a Hope/Light fic. There aren't nearly as many out there as there should be!


	4. Chapter 4

**Iron Heart** – Chapter IV

A/N: More trouble with coming up with new material—however, I am over that case of writer's block, and have actually made a bare outline of how the rest of the story will progress. I'm thinking two more chapters? At the least, anyway, but I don't see it going past that.

Someone mentioned this story being rated M? I looked, and it's still T, and I didn't change it…Don't know if the site is displaying it correctly. I will say though that for those of you concerned with rating, this won't turn into an M story…However, there is use of profanity once here in this chapter. Yep, Daedulas dropped the eff bomb! _

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Hope was very quiet and somewhat apathetic during the day, Lightning had noticed. For reasons unbeknownst to her, he would just stare awkwardly into the sky or at something in the distance. He would play with rocks or dirt in his hands, and often sat a little further away from her than normal. He often had contemplative looks on his face, and to say it was the most uncomfortable silence between them was the biggest understatement on Pulse. Anything she had said or asked him was answered with a short, curt reply that left no room for further discussion. What was an outdoor survival excursion with an old friend soon resembled being stuck in some sort of quiet, boring study hall period. Lightning hated it.

Hope had tried to keep his distance from Lightning— both figuratively and literally. He did his best to keep her away, for it was for the best…right? It soon became a mechanical process. Mouth closed. Pick up a rock. Roll it over in your left hand five times. Pick up a different rock. Roll it over in your hand four times multiplied by however many clouds you see in the sky. Poke around in the dirt. Stare at a tree. Stare at a bush. Glance over at Lightning for a second. Give her a small smile if she notices you looking at her. Repeat.

He thought about his business, wondering how it was running without him. This only took up about four minutes of his time, seeing as how he had capable people working underneath him. He thought about what girls had called him and left countless messages for him. This didn't take up much time, for random girls were always calling him, asking when they would see him next or whatnot. They were mindless distractions, and ones that did a horrible job at capturing his interest right now—especially when there was a beautiful woman with substance to her just ten feet away from him.

To say it was easy to not talk to Lightning was a lie. Hope had to suppress the part of him that said to just ease up, to forget about this stupid iron heart concept. He had to admit though, that it wasn't completely easy to do so, to not want to talk or interact with her in some way, to stop thinking about her…

Lightning noticed this strange…tension? She couldn't put her finger on the word, but things were strange. And she was somewhat worried too. She had a yearning to talk to him about it all. But he was so evasive whenever he spoke. And she was sure that if she brought it up directly, it would turn this indeterminable excursion into an incredibly awkward one… But she had to get to the bottom of these strange feelings; _her_ feelings. Since Hope had taken the time to not talk to her, she had a lot of time to mull over her own thoughts.

_Did I miss him? _Well yeah, of course I did. Everyone did, right? He was a good friend. A good companion. Someone who could make me smile, someone who could make me want to open up… But did I take it exceptionally hard…? I..

_Do I…care for him? _Again, of course I do. We're close. Well, we were really close. But we're still pretty familiar with each other. So, that's a yes then._ But, how close is he? _Probably the only person I'm close to other than Serah. And I love the fact that he is…I MEAN, I like the fact that we are this way…I hope things haven't changed through those three years…

_Do I…want to be…with him? …Romantically…? _I… Her train of thought was derailed by the sudden heat she was beginning to feel in her cheeks. Where did this thought come from, she thought.

_How do I view him? _A kid. No, wait, not anymore._ He's grown. Look at him. Taller. More muscle. No longer some scrawny little body. More definition. Longer hair. Strong jaw line. Prominent cheek bones. Clear skin. Shining green eyes. Handsome. And he's independent and responsible now—at least, when he isn't going out on the town, I assume. Stupid tabloids. _Okay, so he's a good looking guy._ Is he like a brother? _He was._ Well, what about now? Could you ever see him as a boyfriend? …Lover? _I don't know… Her cheeks were threatening to turn red, but she willed them to contain the flow of blood rushing to them.

_These aren't straight forward answers. Why did you reject him before? _God, I don't know. It was a bombshell of a confession. It came out of nowhere. He was young—it was normal for pubescent teens to have hormones and crushes on girls. Especially older ones. It would pass. It was just some dumb affection, right? I mean, he was still a kid then. I'm considered an adult. No way I'd go there.

And besides…I was confused. No one had ever said those kinds of things to me before. Maybe I could have been nicer about it…I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to get hurt, myself. It was for the best._ Okay Light, so what about now? Why do you get strange feelings in your chest around him? Is that a sign? _I'm not sure…I saw him as my younger brother of sorts. But he doesn't need an older sister now. He can stand on his own.

_So he's a young man now? _Yes._ So he's matured? _Yes._ So he's changed? _Yes._ So there's no need for a motherly or older sister type of figure in his life? No need for you to fill that role?…_Yes_. You cared for him. You were watching out for him. Maybe you didn't realize how big of an impact he had on your life. You were too busy trying to make an impact on his. Relax. Let loose. Let your hair down, so to speak. Look at him. He's a different person now. One that you cared for. Maybe he's one you want in your life-it certainly wouldn't make your life any worse. Or could you do without him? _No…I mean, I don't know…

_If he exits stage right on your life, what's left? _Well, there's work._ Yes, but what else besides that and Serah and your friends. _Not much._ Those people can make you happy—but you're missing someone to make you feel special. Someone to make you feel loved, like you're the center of their universe. You're missing that person, Light. …I know. Love is powerful. It can make you happy and yet it can crush you. Let's…try to be happy. Let's live a little. Every girl needs some romance in their life, right_?...Sounds like something Serah would say._ Maybe she is rubbing off on you. But you can't argue the point that you deserve to be happy, for once…_

_How does he make you feel? _…Happy._ Anything else? _…Welcome._ And? _…Like there's a burden off my shoulders. Like I don't have to be so serious anymore. Like I can relax…and be happy for once…Times were simpler when he was around. I could be more carefree. I could enjoy life for what it was._ All good points, Light. Then maybe…The two things holding you back, familial feelings and age, that are now stripped away, can reveal what was underneath. Possibly…romantic feelings…?_

Lightning thought about this. Her internal dialogue solved some things but not everything. She couldn't deduce her feelings all by herself. She needed to see how Hope made her feel, she couldn't just theorize all day. She had to get closer to him, get him to do something to her. She then felt another blush coming, and reworded that phrase…Get him to _interact_ with her. Lightning's eyes found their way to him. He was just sitting there. In all his attractive glory, she thought, before dismissing the intrusive thought. She made some progress in her feelings, but not as much as she would have liked. They weren't definite. They were still hazy. Cloudy. Like there was some static in the way. She could make some things out, but not everything. She needed to get to the bottom of her feelings, for better or worse. She felt that if she didn't, a nagging, eating feeling would pick her apart, slowly and surely. She needed to know what her feelings were for him. With this in mind, she gave herself a new mission—get closer to Hope.

She asked about his job, some of the things she knew he liked three years ago, anything to incite some sort of response from him. Despite this, it felt like she was talking to a dead fish, and that was saying something, seeing as how Hope was normally a charismatic person. Lightning then had a thought—was he ever scorned by her rejection? Did he ever hold a grudge against her? She couldn't be sure, but couldn't help but feel paranoid that maybe his recent behavior had a hand in things. She immediately felt sorry for him. She wanted to apologize. She wanted to make it better, even suggest that she could possibly reciprocate those feelings _now_, if she indeed having romantic thoughts for him. She needed her thoughts and feelings to be affirmed.

Hope noticed that all of a sudden, Lightning had tried talking to him. By nature, she wasn't the most talkative person in the world. However, he noticed the new change, and he would be lying if a part of him didn't want to talk more to her. He decided to stick to his guns though, and maintain his distant persona. He noticed a flash go through Lightning's eyes, and she stood up and walked towards him.

Lightning had an idea. One that would deal a crushing blow to this shell Hope had put up. Time to put it into action.

"I'll be back." It was all she had said before moving to leave, when she stopped midstride. She handed Hope his new gunblade, and took the Enkindler beside him. Hope gave her an even more puzzled look.

"This one is nice and all, but I like the Enkindler better. Don't get me wrong, it's impressive and all—the Raikiri; but you made that one on your own." Her hand moved to rest on the holstered Enkindler, before continuing. "But we put a lot of time and effort into making this one efficient. It reminds me of those good times we had between the bad times, and it's why I've held onto it all this time—besides it being a very good weapon. We did this one _together_."

Lightning's eyes never looked more truthful and genuine, Hope thought. He felt a blush coming to his cheeks, and he could do nothing to stop it. He knew that his mouth was slightly open, but he couldn't focus enough to close it. His eyes darted from her, to the gunblade, and to the ground. How did she do it? How did she reduce his defenses to this? He was now some sort of bumbling idiot, who couldn't even muster any words in front of her.

"Oh…" was all he said. Lightning gave him a small, reassuring smile, and walked off. All he could do was watch her retreating form in wonder.

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It was late afternoon when Lightning returned. She saw him stoking the fire, to keep it going. She didn't know how anxious he had been while she was gone, pacing around, wondering what she was off to, and if she was alright. She soon knew though from his reaction to her return.

"Light! Where did you go? Are you alright? You should have told me first where you were going, just so I knew in case something happened!"

Hope said all this as he ran over to her, grabbing a hold of her shoulder with his good arm, trying to work his broken arm to meet her other shoulder. Lightning felt proud of herself—plan was working well so far. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

"But still, I was worried!"

"I think you'll forgive me soon enough" replied Light coolly, then motioned to what she was holding behind her. It was some sort of mammal, obviously dead now. Lightning had also gathered a few vegetables from the surround area.

"Thought you'd like to eat something other than fruit," she said, with a small smile.

Hope watched as she made her way over to the fire, and began skinning the animal. She then divvied up the portions, and stuck the meat and vegetables on skewers, and began roasting them. Hope's feet stood planted to the ground. He could only move his head and watch her, mouth agape. For some reason he found himself blushing again, his defenses broken twice in the same day. Lightning watched out of the corner of her eye as Hope watched her, motionless, taken back by her actions. She inwardly grinned, for her plan to get closer to him was working. She tended to the food on the fire, and in no time, it was done. She offered one to him, still watching with his feet rooted to the ground.

"Hungry?"

Before Hope could reply, his stomach let out a growl. "I'll take that as a yes."

Hope devoured his skewer of meat, eating it ravenously. He had a few more to, and happily ate. If this didn't lighten up his mood, or make him grateful and open up to her again, she didn't know what would.

"Light…Not that I don't appreciate this, but why'd you do that?"

"I remembered you really liked them. You usually asked for them a lot when we first came down to Pulse all those years ago."

Hope thought back to his childish youth, and would always request roasted meat for supper. He always asked for them half as a joke, half as a serious request. Lightning was the only one who ever took his requests seriously, and she had surprised him one night by actually preparing the food that way. It was a reminder of how he was able to crack her demeanor, and prove that she was caring after all.

"I thought it'd make you happy. I thought it'd make this whole ordeal more bearable. I know it's been rough out here, and that I'm not exactly the best company, but I wanted to cheer you up."

Before he could think, Hope blurted out "No, don't say that Light. Don't put yourself down. If I had to pick anyone to be here with, it'd be you, no questions asked! Hell, I'd want to spend time with you over anyone." Hope felt some sweat trickle down the back of his neck, immediately becoming nervous. He didn't mean to say those things—especially that last comment. But in that moment, he said "fuck you" to his iron heart. Light deserves better than this, he thought. Maybe for now, we can be close friends again… I'll worry about the future when we get rescued.

Lightning was happy. Hope had said more to her in that instant than he did all day. His words had also made her joyful—and she knew he wasn't just saying them just to say them. Lightning inwardly grinned. _I win_, she thought. And she also realized that the old adage, the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, rang unquestionably true. After their supper, Hope returned to normal. Gone was the quiet, reflective man who had barely said a word to her throughout the day, choosing to be interested in dirt, the sky, or the rocks. The old Hope was back—the one who laughed, made her laugh, and would talk about anything with her. She was glad—this was the one she had possibly fallen for…

The rest of the night had passed rather quickly. Lightning and Hope were so caught up in their friendly conversations that they barely noticed time passing by. It was the best night they had so far. They laughed, made fun of each other, and talked about literally everything. The air was light, and enjoyable—and they both seemed to really like each other's company. The camaraderie and chemistry restored between them, at least for the moment. It was a night to remember.

**

* * *

**

The next day wouldn't be as bright and happy as the previous night—Lightning could tell as she took the last watch before the early morning. Something in the air was different. She had a bad feeling that pulsated through her entire being. Due to this feeling, it was probably what had kept the both of them alive.

About an hour after Hope went to sleep and Lightning took the early morning watch, just as the sun began to rise, Lightning heard strange sounds coming from the surrounding fauna. It sounded as if someone, or something was moving around in the brush. Lightning did a quick survey of the immediate surrounding area, and her suspicions were well-founded; plants were moved aside, and distinct tracks were left in the dirt. She forced her legs to move at full speed to get back to Hope.

Hope was still sleeping as she left him, but she quickly shook him awake.

"Get up. We've got to move. Now."

"Wha…?" replied Hope, opening his eyes after a good thirty seconds.

"We've been found. But by the locals," said Lightning, in a low voice so as to conceal their already compromised position. She grabbed his good arm, and half dragged, half ran with him. She decided to head for the nearby river—they could follow it where ever it took them, far away from the dense forest. At least the river area was more open, and gave them an equal advantage in footing in an outnumbered fight…

Their escape was hastened by loud roars. Ones that Hope and Lightning both recognized instantly. It was a pack of Gorgonopsids, most likely led by the domineering Silver Lobo. The mutated wolf-like creatures were already on their tails—Lightning hoped that they could shake them by weaving throughout the forest, but apparently their sense of smell and tracking skills were much better than she thought.

"If you see them, shoot on sight. Make each shot count. Shoot to kill," said Light, in a cold, almost robotic voice.

"R-r-right," said a visibly shaken Hope, for her commanding voice could send shivers up any man, woman, or child's spine.

Suddenly, the loud roars of the pack grew louder by the second. They couldn't determine the number, but in their previous encounters, they usually numbered five at the _lowest_. One thing was sure—the hunt had officially begun. Lightning increased the fervor at which she dragged Hope alone, eyes darting all around her. Suddenly, one of the tan, spiky beasts had appeared right behind them. Lightning quickly changed her Enkindler to gun mode, and placed a bullet right between the beast's eyes. So long as they attacked one by one, they could be alright. Hope then fired off an explosive round ahead of them, after two more Gorgonopsids appeared. She was glad that he knew how to use his own efficient machine.

After more small encounters, Lightning thought they were in the clear. She heard the sound of running water! The pace at which they ran quickened, and soon met the cooling blue water. They didn't expect to meet the rest of the pack—at least twenty strong, led by the monstrous Silver Lobo.

"Damn." It was one word, a small one at that, and it completely encompassed all that she felt. Lightning instinctively shielded Hope with her body, and eyed the surrounding monsters. She assumed that the small numbers encountered while in the run were for reconnaissance, or such. It was no matter now, the full strength of the pack lay between them and their lives. Lightning whispered to Hope, never taking her eyes off the hungry animals looking to make them their next meal.

"I need three shots. Frag rounds to the left and right flanks. It will scatter them. Then be sure to get the really ugly one in the back. We cut down the center, and keep running. Don't look back, even if something happens to me. Just follow the water to where ever it flows."

"But—"

"It's an order. Can I trust you to do that?"

"…Yes. But I'll make sure nothing will happen to you," shot back Hope, before giving her his now famous, trademark Estheim smile that was posted all over TV's in Cocoon.

Hope began the assault before the pack could all converge on them. He shot three well placed explosive rounds where Lightning had directed him to do so, and the results worked wonderfully. The pack scattered—what living members remained. A few were killed instantly, many more left wounded from the fragmentation rounds. Through the howls of misery and kicked up dirt, Lightning and Hope ran. Lightning was sure to finish off some of the Gorgonopsids with some well placed slashes and bullets. The duo ran, for the pack was now regrouping and pursuing them. Lightning looked back behind them to see that the monsters looked even more ravenous than before. They would not go down without a fight—but a fight could not happen. Lightning and Hope were tired. They couldn't face them outnumbered, and head on. To top things off, Hope was injured, still plagued by that broken arm.

Lightning surveyed the surroundings—the river had led to a waterfall. It was their only escape, and it had to be taken, chances of death and all.

"We'll have to jump. Just do it!" Hope didn't have time to debate it, for the pack was on their back yet again. As he and Lightning approached the edge of the waterfall, they began to realize how large of a drop it actually was. One hundred feet—at the minimum. They paused, before looking back at their pursuers, then back at each other. Lightning grabbed Hope's hand, and squeezed it in reaffirmance. Their eyes met. They hoped they would again. They both took the leap, and prepared for the inevitable impact.

Everything was a blur to Lightning. They had fallen so fast that her eyes couldn't keep up with the moving scenery. After what felt like an eternity, they both made a loud impact with the water. Lightning kicked her feet and flailed her arms to get to the surface—she had plunged rather deep into the water. She broke the surface of the water, and gasped for air. She immediately set out to swim to land. She heard flapping in the water, most likely Hope following behind her. As Light dragged herself upon the shore, she realized she didn't hear the flapping she heard just mere moments before. Wasn't Hope swimming behind her?

A sudden realization hit Lightning. The flapping was him trying to swim. With _one_ arm. She immediately scanned the water, and then jumped right back in. He wasn't on the surface. She swam over to where they met the water, and still didn't find him. "Where are you?" she thought. Lightning then took a deep breath and went under the water. The only good thing was that the water was crystal clear, and she was able to locate Hope—at the very bottom.

She swam towards him, desperate to pour every ounce of energy in her into doing so. Within a few seconds, she had grabbed his now motionless body, and brought him to the surface. She saw in the sunlight that his face was pale, and his lips were a tinge of blue. Keeping her composure and diverting her want to panic, she swam as fast as she humanly could towards shore, with Hope in tow. She dragged him onto the shore, and immediately began to try to resuscitate him.

As her lips met his, she found herself blushing, but she was far too preoccupied to worry about that right now. She slipped into a rhythm of chest compressions and breaths. After a few minutes, her efforts yielded no success. She became frantic in her attempts to start his heart and breathe life into him. She didn't notice a few tears mixing with the water rolling down her face.

"Come on…Come on…Not now…Not now!" Lightning muttered to herself as she pumped Hope's heart. She then moved to his lips, encircling his with her own, and blew as much air as she could into him. She then pounded on his chest yelling out "Wake UP! WAKE UP!" Her frustration was bleeding through. The normally calm Lightning was meeting the realization that Hope was gone. Some of her salty tears had found their way down her cheeks and into her mouth. She forced herself to continue to try to revive Hope, even through her emotions. As she went to put her lips on his, he began to stir.

Slowly, Hope opened his eyes. He saw a frantic Lightning hovering over him; specifically hovering over his lips. Were her eyes…red? "Hope! Are you okay?" He forced a weak smile onto his face, and tried to give her a thumbs up with his good arm. He didn't have time to react as she instinctively pulled him into a comforting hug. To say her grip on him was like a vice was a severe understatement—he actually had to ask to be released, for she was cutting off some of his circulation.

Lightning helped Hope over to the shade of a tree, where they sat. A few minutes of silence passed between the two. Lightning situated herself close to Hope, afraid that he was some sort of fragile item that would break if she wasn't there to catch him. She even kept her hand on his. They were both reliving the ordeal that had just transpired for them. Lightning inwardly blushed at the thought of putting her lips on his. She then thought about how distraught she had become when she thought he wouldn't make it. She had thought he was out of her life—for good. And that she couldn't do anything to prevent it, or to save him. She thought about her firm hug with him. How relieved and happy she was that he was alive. She thought about how her emotions and heart were going 100 miles an hour, and showed no signs of stopping. Was this the sign she needed? Was this what she needed to prove to herself that she really truly cared for him? If so, she got her answer. Yet another blush found its way to her cheeks, and Lightning turned away from Hope, to survey the distance, so that he would not see. This was the moment, the affirmation she had wanted. And to be quite honest, it didn't repulse her. It felt...good. This was the precise occurrence that had proven to Lightning that she had fallen for Hope.

Hope was the first to break the silence.

"…I was actually fine there…Just wanted a few more kisses. It's been a few days since I've gone out with a girl—"

He was stopped midsentence by a good, solid punch to the face. He winced from the speed at which it came, and under the circumstances—he had almost drowned, and now here he was getting punched in the face!

"That's for being an idiot. And don't try your dumb lines on me— I'm not the low breed of girl you're used to," she had said, referring to the partying, all make-up, here's-my-number-let's-go-out-soon type of women he had spent a lot of time with recently. Lightning intended to criticize the type of girls he had decided to associate with in his free time, and Pulse be damned if she was any more subtle about it.

His ego slightly jaded, he took it in stride. "I know that. Just kidding. Was wondering if any type of line worked on you. But, thanks. I owe you."

"Not stupid ones like that. But it's okay. Don't worry about it. You would've done the same."

A few moments passed before Hope decided to ask her: "So what ones work on you?"

"Haven't heard one that does yet," she replied coolly. "But your game, if that's what you can call it, sucks," she said, with a small smile.

"Thanks Light."

"So what do we do now?" asked Hope, after letting a comfortable silence fall between them for a few minutes.

"We'll set up camp further away from here. Then we wait. And we ho—" Lightning was cut off by the sounds of engines. Then the sound of wheels driving on dirt. Then the voice of her superior, Captain Amodar.

"Lieutenant! Estheim!"

Hope and Lightning looked over from the shade of their tree to see several Guardian Corps vehicles making their way over to them. They saw that the mounted weaponry on the vehicles was still smoking, indicating their recent use. Amodar ran over to them, accompanied by some medics.

"Are you alright?"

"Relatively fine, sir."

"Cut that formal crap out, Farron! You both in good health?"

"Yeah. He's got a broken arm, but other than that, we're okay."

"Good…Hey, great job on the signal, Estheim. That's how we found you, or at least the area. Then we heard the commotion from those Gorgonopsids…Their wailing, and that explosive ammo from your gunblade."

Hope scratched the back of his head before saying "I try, I try."

"We took care of those things on the way over, so we're safe for now. But how about we get you guys out of here?"

Hope and Lightning both breathed sighs of relief. As they were helped by the medics into the deployment vehicles, they found it hard to contain their happiness. Hope was all smiles, and chatting it up with the soldiers. He even managed to persuade one to let him use one of their personal PDA's. Lightning let one or two smiles slip from her normally serious face. They had survived. And they were going home. Throughout the long ride back to civilization, Lightning was never more than an arm's reach from Hope's side. Just close enough to give him a good smack for any smart or sly comments he was making to the female soldiers.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Longer than expected. This isn't the end, hoping to get started on the next chapter soon.

Sorry for italics city, with Light's thoughts before. Hope this chapter made sense, with Light's indecisiveness about her feelings, to her realization, to Hope casting aside his iron heart...For now, anyway.

Please leave a review. And please consider writing a Hope/Light fic! Selection could stand to have some more girth, so to speak.


	5. Chapter 5

**Iron Heart** – Chapter V

A/N: Sorry for the longer than usual wait with this chapter, its been about 2 weeks! Haven't been too busy, just haven't been able to come up with material for this chapter. Then I got lazy. I knew what I wanted to do plot-wise, but I didn't know how to go about it. Fear not, for I overcame my case of writer's block and laziness. The show rolls on…

* * *

Hope worked effortlessly in his personal workshop. Littered across many various cold, metal tables were gadgets, tools, and parts of all types. He sat under a bright light, reminiscent of ones used by doctors for surgeries, fidgeting under its intense heat and output. Sweat rolled off his forehead, but the drawbacks of working under these conditions was something that he was very used to. He worked at his usual fervent pace with a soldering iron and screw driver, amongst other things.

Hope was working on the system he had envisioned while stranded in the Pulsian wilderness. He had at some recent point in the very recent past, transcribed his mental notes into physical ones, and his eyes would occasionally glance over at his blueprint. He was relentless in trying to finish this latest technological advancement in defensive systems. Repulsor technology— to push and keep away aggressors. Exactly what he had wanted to do with certain people, or a certain person, to be more specific…

Work was his therapy. It was how he combated stress, and other nagging emotions…It was how he "got over" Lightning when he was younger. He used the work to forget about the toils of life, and its other grievances. This was why he was working so tirelessly into the night. He wanted to forget.

As he worked into early hours of the morning, he couldn't help but think about how he got to working alone in his workshop in Palumpolum…

* * *

Upon their arrival back to civilization and Bodhum, Lightning and Hope were quickly and reluctantly whisked away into a hospital. They received plenty of visitations from their gang of ex-l'Cie friends, who were very relieved to find that their loved ones were still alive. The visits worked out well, for Hope and Lightning were accommodated so that their rooms were right next to each other. Hope sustained slightly more numerous and serious injuries than Light, so he had to wait for a few more days of clearance while Light was released. Despite being under doctor's orders to be bedridden, Hope was happy to be reunited with technology, specifically, a new tablet computer, which he went straight to work on. He only stopped his work to use the lavatory, and to speak to a few of the pretty nurses who tended to him. This last act secretly pissed off a certain pink haired Lieutenant…

Lightning actually took time off from work to visit Hope. At least, that is what she told people. Amodar had forcibly given her a leave of absence so as to rest and spend time with people other than the military.

The day Hope was to be released from the hospital, the gang in its entirety— Lightning, Serah, Snow, and Sazh came to see him off. Or so he thought. They made small talk, but they had an agenda as he came to discover.

"Are you going right back to Palumpolum?" inquired Serah as she helped him gather his things.

"Yeah, I've got a driver coming to get me. I've got a lot of business to take care of," Hope had said.

"You sure, kid? You're in a seaside town. You may as well enjoy it…And with us, too," Sazh told him.

"We promise you'll have a good time! If you don't mind giving out a few Estheim freebies that is..." Snow had said, before receiving a solid punch from Lightning.

"You should stay…We'd like to spend time with you," Lightning said with a straight face. "You shouldn't work yourself to death. We did almost die back there. Don't leave…At least right away," she added right at the last minute. No one seemingly noticed the little hiccup in her words.

**

* * *

**

Hope ended up staying with Snow and Serah. Someone had seemingly offered up Lightning's apartment as a viable option for Hope, but it was suggested more as a joke. Hope was thankful for this, but still went with Snow and Serah's place—he was aware of how awkward things could get, but he also knew that he had to keep Lightning at a distance now. In reality, he was afraid of getting to close to her. He didn't want to be hurt again. On top of this, Hope and Lightning were not alone anymore. They didn't have to rely on each other; life was no longer a life or death situation. They could rely on other things besides one another.

Everyone took off from their respective jobs for three days. Snow and Sazh took Hope to the local outlets, for Hope had no clothing to wear for the next three days. What Sazh called a "male bonding experience," Snow called a "Maybe I can mooch off of him experience." Serah and Lightning stayed behind at the Villiers residence—Serah had made up some inane excuse, because Lightning had pulled her aside, saying they needed to talk.

The two sisters nonchalantly sat down on the couch in the living room, Serah flipping through the channels on the TV, whilst Lightning stared rather uninterestedly out the window.

"I have feelings for Hope."

To say Serah was shocked was an understatement, at the very least. Lightning explained the complex interplay of emotions she felt while in the wilderness with Hope. Serah's eyes were transfixed on her sister, and whatever was on the television soon became the most insignificant thing in the world. She spoke of how her feelings had progressed and evolved to the new kind of affection she held for the platinum haired man today.

"Serah…This is all weird…You know me. I've never felt this before…"

"Claire, he should know."

"But that's the thing. I've thought about this a lot, countless times. The guy is living _the_ Cocoon life. Rich, nights on the town, he could get _any_ girl he wants. I know they're tabloids, but even rumors have a bit of truth. He's dated the most famous women out there. Successful. Beautiful. Popular. Look at me. I'm a soldier; a lieutenant in the Corps. All I've ever known was how to fight. I'm mostly business all of the time. I…keep a façade up to keep most people out…You tell me. You tell me what kind of girl sounds better to him."

"Claire…Don't say that. And besides, you know he's always liked you."

"That's the other thing. _Lik__**ed**_. Don't you remember? I rejected him. Flat out sent him packing. He was a kid. And besides, I wasn't used to or ready for _that_ type of relationship. I did what was best…" replied the older Farron, before continuing.

"Sometimes I feel like I pushed him away. That I truly did hurt him. I _know_ he hasn't forgotten. And that he'll never forgive me."

Serah took a minute to take all this in. Her sister was never one to open up like this, unless it was a serious matter. And even then, she would sometimes bottle it all up and try to tackle it on her own. For Lightning to come to her…This was something she was obviously pent up about, and something she needed to say. It was almost like she had to get the words out, to release the pressure and make these heartfelt feelings all the more real. She really needed someone to listen, and maybe even someone to lend her some advice. This was a sticky situation—all of the points her sister brought up were valid and to an extent, true.

"You obviously have looked at this many ways and many times…But you know, this is all wild speculation. All theories. All possibilities. But it's not the reality of things. Nothing's for sure, Claire. Some of it may be likely, but not definite. What was it you used to say? Not a matter of can or can't—"

"There are just some things in life you just do," Lightning finished.

"Exactly! You have to do this."

"I can't fight this. The odds are all against me…It won't end well."

"With a mentality like that, I would still be a crystal right now. The fal'Cie would still be pumping out l'Cie left and right, and we'd all be under their control. And yet, even with the entire world against you, you still carried on. Same story, Claire. Well, I mean, the world isn't hanging in the balance, but you know what I mean. You weren't definite that you could save the world. But you tried. You did," said Serah. She knew she had a good argument, and it was one Lightning couldn't fight her on.

"There's some unresolved feelings between you two. You've got to talk them out and address them. Don't drop a bomb on him. Take things slow. Talk it out. Take things from there."

Lightning's gaze was fixed on her hands. She couldn't look up as her sister spoke to her. As much as she didn't want to do so, her sister was right. It would be hard. But no one ever said life was easy. She sat in silent contemplation, before deciding that openly discussing her emotions and the past with Hope was the best course of action. The world wouldn't end if she couldn't, but she thought that it surely it would feel that way if she didn't do anything.

**

* * *

**

Day 1 was remarkably normal. It also went by without a hitch. Though from Lightning's standpoint, she made little to no progress. For most of the day, the gang spent the day at Lebreau's café and the boardwalk. Hope got himself reacquainted with NORA, who couldn't help but gawk at being in the midst of a 'celebrity.' Lightning tried to stay close to Hope, or as much as she could without looking obsessive or arousing suspicion. Her logic was that if she stayed near him, she would have to talk to him. In some ways this worked, but in some ways it didn't. Whilst on the boardwalk, a random girl would walk up to Hope, confirm his identity, and then squeal with delight. Then next couple minutes were filled with pictures and phone calls to random friends telling them to get down to the shore as soon as possible.

These girls did two things to Lightning: make her angry because they were so obnoxiously annoying, and make her _jealous_. These girls could command Hope's attention in ways she could only dream of. From their perfectly tanned skin, immaculate make up, and revealing beach outfits, they outclassed her. These thoughts danced in her mind, putting a damper on her mood.

Through this, Lightning tried to talk to Hope. Their conversations often consisted of small comments, mainly very menial talk. Their small dialogue often felt very awkward, at least to Lightning. _What's happening to me…_she thought. _Why do I feel so small now? It's just Hope…Its just Hope_. It was all she could tell herself, as the day passed away.

**

* * *

**

Day 2 went by slightly better. This time, the gang spent the day in the Villiers backyard grilling and having a good time. Snow, Sazh, and Hope genuinely had fun doing this. Leave it to the men to go crazy while grilling, Lightning thought. However, Hope was especially distracted by this activity. Lightning had an idea to get his attention—the same one that worked so wonderfully on Pulse.

"Here," said Lightning, handing Hope a shish kebab.

"Wow, thanks Light!" replied Hope, eyes lighting up, and instantly recognizing the delectable piece of food offered to him.

_Checkmate_, Lightning said to herself. If Lightning were an evil person, she would be cackling to herself, for men were so predictable, and she had Hope and his undivided attention in the center of her palm. However, Lightning just used this opportunity to sit down and talk to him.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Of course!" he said in between bites, "Its so hard for anyone else to get these right back in Palumpolum."

Lightning flashed a quick smile, which she saw he took notice of—his eyes went from the food to her face, and stayed transfixed on her for the briefest of moments. It was a small victory, but one nonetheless.

"So you're only staying until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that's my last day. Going back to Palumpolum the day after that, there's a lot of I have to get caught up on."

"…When will we see you again?" Lightning inquired.

"I'm…not sure."

"Maybe you could stop by during the holidays. Maybe even a monthly thing…Weekly if you really can't get enough of us," she joked. "But really, you could probably afford a place here to stay if you did come to visit."

Hope stopped mid-bite to mull over what she was saying. Was she asking him to stay here? Did he hear right?_ I think I'm looking too deeply into it…_he thought to himself. "Maybe. I can't say right now. I really am busy, I know I say that a lot, but it is true."

"You should take a break every once in a while. Otherwise, you could end up like me."

"…Already have, I think…"

An awkward silence followed. What exactly did he mean by that? Whatever it was, the air was no longer light—but different. It was hard to say exactly what, but it had definitively changed. _One step forward, two steps back_, Lightning thought.

**

* * *

**

Day 3 was when Lightning had to make her stand. This was the final day Hope would be in Bodhum, for who knows how long. It was rather uneventful until dusk, when the ever famous Bodhum fireworks took place. The white sand on the beach could barely be seen, for the crowds had come out in droves to watch the spectacle. The gang of friends inadvertently paired up on the sand; Sazh with his son, the married couple of Snow and Serah, leaving Lightning and Hope alone…

Hope couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This was eerily similar to certain circumstances three years ago…

Lightning couldn't help but feel a little nervous too. A tightening effect had gone off in her chest. She could feel the slightest semblance of sweat on her hands, and something in her stomach just wouldn't settle. _I'm not one to wish, but I could use some luck and help tonight…_

As the fireworks danced in the night sky, Lighting looked over at Hope, who had an odd look on his face. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was a little…off.

"You wish for anything?"

_Yeah, that I could move on_… "No, not really. I'm a realist," Hope answered.

"…You've grown. And changed."

Hope looked over at her and said with a small laugh "I'd hope so. You wish for anything?"

"…Yeah. That things could change…"

Hope gave her a confused look. They were very cryptic words that he couldn't wrap his head around of. Her tone seemed different too—not only was it lower, but it seemed like it _longed_ for something. He didn't have a reply for her, but he just stood awaiting more form her.

"Hope, do you remember? …On this beach…Something you once told me…?" She tried to phrase it as smoothly as possible. Despite this, it was hard to come up with the right words, and then get those words out.

Hope's gaze soon lowered to the sand as soon as the words came out of her mouth. He immediately felt something well up inside of him. It was a mixture of anger, contempt, pain, and sadness. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, and gone was the normally cheerful Hope. This change was instantly felt by Lightning, which raised a sense of alarm in her. Hope didn't say anything. He didn't want to say anything.

"Hope?"

"…I'm fine."

"You don't seem—"

"I _am_," he quickly cut her off. "Its okay. I understand where we are."

"I wanted to talk about that…"

Hope felt the negative emotions within him gaining ground. They were threatening to overtake him, and yet, Hope didn't feel the need to really fight them. At this point, he really seemed to care less.

"What's to talk about? I know how you feel. You know how I _used to feel_." Another awkward silence fell between them.

"Hope, what if things changed? You've changed since then. So have I…"

"Don't kid with me."

"I'm not," Lightning said back. Hope felt the negativity win him over decisively. She brought back the pain and memories of yesteryear. It was like reopening a stubborn wound that refused to heal. The gap would be bridged, but then all the progress would be torn apart again. This would hurt. And it bled. This bleeding was hard to control, and Hope felt that it wouldn't ever stop. He couldn't stop his voice from rising as he spoke. A malicious tone soon took over.

"I _drowned_ in my own sorrow back then. In my own emotions. Do you _realize_ how hard it was to be happy? For a while, I thought it was _impossible_. Do you _realize_ what you did to me? Light, I _**loved**_ you. You wouldn't even hear me out!"

"I poured all my time, energy…my _life_ into looking out for me after that. How do you think I got to where I am today? I had to do something with myself. I had to get away from you. That's why I am who I am today. I've been so careful to not get that close to anyone ever again. Especially you. I'd get too close, and end up getting burned."

"The only positive is that my success today came as a direct result of that."

Lightning couldn't refute anything he said. She just took it all in. She felt the emotions in his words, the pain radiating off of him. She had really done a number on him. His words had cut deeper and hurt more than any wound she ever received in the Corps. She had a feeling that this was similar to what he felt three years ago, on this very beach.

"Hope..." was all she could say back to him. It was as if her own vocal chords failed her, and even saying that was a huge feat.

"Light…No part of me can see you in that way anymore. No part of me feels like that anymore. I really doubt…we can even pretend to be friends after this."

He took out his phone, and made a call to his driver. Lightning watched wistfully as he made his rounds to the group, saying goodbyes and empty promises to see them again soon. He had said there was a problem back with the company, and had to leave that night. He made his way back to her, and looked her directly in her eyes.

"Goodbye."

It was all he said. Hope had washed his hands of Lightning Farron. And with that, he left.

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A/N: One more chapter to go after this. Hopefully I have it up in half the time it took to get this one up.

Please leave a review, and consider writing your own Hope/Light story—there should be way more for us fans to enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Iron Heart – **Chapter VI

A/N: Sorry for the **exceptional** delay (Three weeks or so?). Usual laziness, writer's block, work, personal life, etc. For those of you that have stuck through to the bitter end, I really cannot thank you all enough. With that being said, the show rolls on, and I bring to you, the final chapter…

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For several days after her incident with Hope, Lightning remained robotic and distant. She spoke very little, and seemed to always be focused on something else other than any task at hand. Whenever she did speak, she was always direct and curt—perfectly suited to give many orders to her Guardian Corps subordinates. The soldiers directly under her command noticed a shift in their fearless leader, for she now resembled an ice queen. Drills were relentless and constant, and many soldiers outright collapsed due to exhaustion. Many were not happy with this change, to say the least.

Everyone had tried to get the soldier to open up. Amodar shot her several "What's up, kid?" inquiries, while Serah continually asked "What's wrong? How can I help?" Numerous attempts were made to open up Lightning, but they were all met with failure. Serah had asked just for formality's sake what was wrong, but she theorized it had to do with Hope. This was deduced from her sister's recent feelings, Hope's abrupt departure, and her sister's subsequent behavior. However, the older Farron wasn't willing to talk about anything, let alone let her own sister in. This was Lightning's way of coping—shutting everyone out, and drowning herself in work. It was a bad habit she had picked up, and a very unhealthy one at that.

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Lightning was working herself to the bone. Over the past couple of weeks, she had taken on more scouting missions, patrols, gunblade practice, and ordered more training and drills. She didn't know exactly why she did so, only that she had to do them, and was available to do them. Lightning often found herself with no energy at the end of the day, or half of the time, she was restless and couldn't sit still. There were many nights where she just found herself laying awake in bed, counting the minutes that would go by. This preoccupation was exactly that, and didn't offer anything in the way of a light at the end of the tunnel.

One particular weekday morning, the Lieutenant found herself lying in bed. A quick glance to a clock showed that it was almost four in the morning. Unfortunately, she was off today—a mandatory personal day from Amodar. He had said she looked like hell. Whether or not Lightning believed him was another story.

"I'm up…May as well do something…" she mumbled to herself. Lightning got herself out of bed, and threw on running shoes, and a Guardian Corps track suit. No use in staying still, she thought.

She took off at a brisk pace through Bodhum. The usually lively town was still asleep. The air was cold and crisp; to the weak it seemed almost like it bit at your skin. However, Lightning took no notice of this. If anything, the disgruntled look on her face bit back. While jogging through the business district of town, she couldn't help but notice all the ads and logos signifying Estheim Industries. She wasn't sure what exactly the feeling was, but it sent a shockwave throughout her core. It started in her stomach, and worked its way outwards to her digits. It was an unpleasant feeling; one that made you feel sick, or gave a warning that something bad was about to happen. Lightning "hmmphed" while she continued her run, unconsciously avoiding these signs. Whenever she saw one up ahead, her body took a swerve and went down a different direction, only to meet another reminder of Hope. No matter how much she tried to run away, she found herself running into _him_. She tried running faster, but it was futile. The pain and the memories of him were brought to the surface.

Lightning lost track of time on her run. The sun wasn't up when she left her apartment, but it was rising by the time she decided to take a break. Her excursion took her to the small shops that lined the boardwalk of Bodhum's shore.

As she slowly walked up and down the boardwalk, a small food shop caught her eye. _Of course I stop at this one_, she thought. It was a local eatery that had not opened yet. The shop specialized in barbecue and shish kebabs; the kinds that _he_ liked. Everywhere she went, she was reminded of him. Lightning found herself walking over to the shop window. She didn't know why, just that she did. She found herself looking in and putting her hand up onto the window. Just as she was about to walk away, she stopped. She saw her reflection in the window.

This was the worst Lightning Farron had looked in years. You had to really know her to be able to see it, because otherwise, on the surface, she looked relatively the same. What shocked her most were her eyes. It was as if there was something written on them, just begging for anyone else to take notice. _He would…If he were here_, she thought. Her eyes spoke magnitudes. She took a good look at herself, at her reflection. They conveyed pain—being hurt by someone very close to you. She saw what he had done to her. His "rejection" of sorts. His crushing and dismissal of her feelings. How he had wiped himself clean of her. How there was no hope for the either of them to be together. She understood her own pain. Life was bleak and almost hopeless. She could see her own pain. There were these "lines" in her face. Too many lines. They weren't physical, but emotional. They signified the reach and depth of his actions to her.

Lightning wanted to get angry. She wanted to smash the store window, she wanted to curse Hope. But she couldn't. Seeing herself, and how she was a ghost of herself, she understood something. She understood that she had done this to him first. She was the one who had caused him this despair. He was the one with a dictionary's amount of words on his eyes, that she was never able to read. He was the one with lines on his face, and they were much worse than hers.

Hope's pain was greater. It had more time to sink in and devastate him. She knew this now. She comprehended the weight of her actions all those years ago. And now she felt guilt. Through this hurting, she knew why he was the way he was—for she had inadvertently turned into him too. She knew all too well the ache he had in his heart. How it longed for something—anything, even acceptance. This pain was too much to cope with by oneself. She had hurt him on unimaginable levels. She wanted to feel bad, and that she did, but more so than anything, she wanted to make things _right_. Lightning wanted to fix things and make them better.

_Would he understand? …No. He said so himself… Figures this would happen…I take one step forward, but that foot ends up getting stuck in the mud…_

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Lightning was remarkably better the past couple of days. She slept easier, and had lightened up on her subordinates, who were exceptionally grateful. However, she was not completely better. She understood the scope of the situation with Hope, but had no way to fix it. She didn't even think he wanted to fix it. His words had cut her, and they felt very truthful too. He was done with her.

Speaking of words cutting her, Lightning was asked by Amodar to spend more time with the prototype gunblade Hope had designed for the Corps. Final field tests were being done to prove its combat effectiveness—Lightning had no doubt that this weapon would quickly be adopted as standard issue to the advanced soldiers, such as herself, but testing it out was merely protocol. Being in the army meant having to follow protocol, if and only if for the sake of things.

As Lightning took a few practice swings, she jotted down notes in her field notebook regarding its weight and ease of use. However, she stopped when her eyes scanned over the form she was filling out. Her eyes stopped on the weapon's name—_Raikiri_. She wondered how Hope had come to that name. She knew he had personally chosen the name, as it was well-known for him to be very hands-on with whatever he was involved in. This fact stuck with her as she continued to test out the weapon. As much as she wanted to move onto the next parts of the form, she couldn't. Something was bugging her, and it wouldn't stop until the mystery was solved.

A quick trip to the Corps R&D department, and a quick search on the internet proved that _Raikiri_ was from an older language no longer used on Cocoon. It was Pulsian in roots, and difficult to understand. However, some more research uncovered its true name—lightning blade. _Now, this could just be because it does incorporate an electric current into its strikes, but…Just maybe, he named it after…me…?_

Lightning was shocked. Hope really did have it bad for her at one point, despite his pain. The naming of the gunblade was twofold—it described the weapon and was in dedication to her. But despite this, Lighting couldn't help but feel that she was looking too far into things. She felt that maybe this was pulling at strings; like someone who was desperate for something or that saw what they had wanted to see, and not what was actually there. She began to lose hope—both literally and metaphorically.

These thoughts leaving her mind, Lightning soldiered on with her tests. She tried to dismiss her thoughts of Hope, but it was very hard to do so. Her hands moved mechanically along the length of the blade, measuring it—it was the exact same length as her Enkindler. Right down to the millimeter. Most soldiers preferred a longer blade, which some would view in a masochist light, but Lightning preferred a slightly shorter blade. A shorter blade allowed her to move quickly and effortlessly, maintaining grace and killing speed while in the heat of a fight. Only one person knew what blade length she preferred; she saw that he had incorporated it into this weapon. This puzzled Lightning yet again, for wasn't Hope in his deepest despair all those years ago? Why would he be thinking about her? Was there a small part of him that still held onto his feelings for her? She could only theorize…

Lightning moved onto an inner inspection of the weapon. To a soldier, cleanliness and ease of maintenance of a weapon was of dire importance. How easily a weapon could be disassembled and cleaned determined how likely the weapon was to jam or break when it was most needed. As Lightning took apart the Raikiri, she noticed the way the inner mechanisms were relatively simple in design, and how the innards were laid out. It was would be fairly easy for anyone with firearms experience to up keep the weapon. As Lightning went to reassemble the gunblade, she froze. She saw a miniscule inscription—it was very small, and anyone would have missed it unless they knew where to look, had good eyes, or just plain got lucky. She ran her finger along its length, as if testing to see if it was actually there. She pleaded and hoped to herself that this was real and not simply a figment of her imagination. Lightning stared right into the inscription, reading it word for word, at least a dozen times. This was real. All of these coincidences were not coincidences. They were done so on purpose. She knew that somewhere deep inside Hope, even in his darkest hour, he still felt for her. She had to hope that this part of him was still there. For the first time in a while, she felt a little bit happy. She felt happy that there was a little bit of light piercing its way through the darkness that was pessimism. She knew what she had to do.

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Hope was tired. He had been working almost non-stop in his workshop in Palumpolum. Even without any distractions, he was still a far bit off from completely his latest invention. He was grateful that he could retreat to this part of the corporate building—no distractions, just an empty work space that he could get lost in. No one would bother him here, for they knew better.

At least, that's what he thought.

A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. "Get out. I'm busy," he yelled through to the other side. He was shocked to hear the handle turn, and the door steadily opened. Hope hadn't seen anyone in a few hours. He didn't expect to see _her. Here._ He noticed her light pink hair first, and then her strong, cerulean gaze. He wanted to yell something to her. Maybe a "get out" or "What are you doing here?" but his voice failed him. He didn't hear the wrench he was holding hit the floor. He didn't realize his mouth was slightly open and that it was _still_ hanging open. He only heard one thing.

"I want to talk."

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She closed the door behind her, and locked it. There was no way out. She closed the distance between herself and Hope, but stopped when she deemed it was a "comfortable" distance away from him.

"Listen. Just hear me out. Please." Hope had heard the concern in her voice. Lightning was not one to use this tone often, and to be honest, he couldn't remember the last time she sounded like this. Her eyes also conveyed her feelings. He could tell she was going to speak genuinely, and that she had really wanted to do this.

"All those years ago, after you told me how you felt, and after my subsequent…rejection…I thought I knew how you felt. I thought I understood what you were going through, and I thought I knew what you were feeling. I assumed you'd get over it, over me really soon. I didn't think it was possible for you to feel that down and out for so long. But...I was dead wrong."

She paused to look study him, to see if he was taking in what she was saying. She couldn't tell, but she was able to decipher from his face and body language that he was indeed listening to her. She just didn't know if it was sinking in with him.

"After what you told me a few weeks ago, on the night of the fireworks…After that…I felt what you did. I was restless, and I inadvertently drowned myself in my work. It was all I could do to even try to move on. To even try to forget what happened. To try to forget that pain that starts right in your chest, and moves out, taking over everything in its way…You wouldn't believe how many drills and hours I poured into the Corps…Well actually, you probably would, you know me very well…" she said, stopping briefly to flash him the smallest of smiles. "For however long it was, I was depressed. I couldn't feel anything. I didn't have anything to look forward to."

"What I want to say is that I understand now what I did to you. I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm truly sorry, Hope. I really am…You don't have to accept this; just please know it."

"…Okay…Light." An awkward silence passed between the two. The weight of the air was exceptionally heavy. The room felt tense, but at the same time, it almost wasn't.

"Is that all?"

"No."

"What else did you want to talk about?"

"Hope, I…think that…No, I **am** ready…for a relationship…" Lightning was very adept at controlling her emotions, or indicators about how she was feeling. However, she could not fight the crimson that had found its way to her face. She could try to fight it, but she didn't want to—she wanted Hope to see.

"I know things have changed, and that things are weird right now between us—but I think something could work now. I'll be honest with you right now; this wouldn't have worked out so well when you were younger. It was a valiant effort, but I wasn't ready then, and I don't think that you were too." Lightning closed the distance between her and Hope. She was now only an arm's length away from him. She aimed her own blue eyes into his forest green ones as she spoke.

"I'm ready to let you in. I want you to be close to me, closer than I've ever let anyone in before. Because the truth is…I missed you. I know now that the emptiness I've had in my life was someone to love, someone to love me. I want you in my life. I realize now how you make me feel—this…sensation that just spreads and radiates throughout me. It's warm and comforting, and I know we both need and want it…You make me feel special…I know I can make you feel the same way too…"

Lightning had spent a long time finding the right words as she travelled in a hurry from Bodhum to Palumpolum. She was glad she did, for she would be tripping and stumbling in front of Hope at such a crucial time, and she didn't want to mess this up again.

Hope felt sadness in his heart. This was what he wanted back then, but was it really right for him now? He spoke before he could even think.

"Light, I can't…You…know how I feel. Not like that anymor—"

"Hope, I **know** a part of you has to feel that way for me. Its somewhere in you…buried beneath all of the pain. Please listen to it."

Hope paused. For some reason he couldn't look at Lightning in her eyes. He could only focus on his own feet or the floor. Was she right?

"If you don't believe me…Then what about this?" As she spoke, she took out her gunblade—it was the Raikiri. "Why did you name it the Raikiri?"

"It means lightning blade…"

"Is this coincidence? Or just fitting?" Hope didn't answer her. The cogs just kept turning in his head.

"Or the parameters of the blade? It's what I prefer. You couldn't have known I would be at the demo. Did that part of you make this blade as if it was _meant_ for me?"

Hope couldn't muster any words. Any attempt to do so ended in silence or in low guttural sounds. Lightning could see him cracking, and now was the time to deal the staggering blow. She walked to a nearby table and began taking apart the weapon. Hope watched in silence, a part of him knowing what she was going to do. He almost felt like a criminal caught in the act—but he didn't want to stop her. He wanted her to keep going, to keep prodding…

Lightning brought over a piece of metal to him. "This. 'White flash. Call upon my name.' This was written on my gunblade when we were l'Cie. Why is it inside this blade? The other two things could have been coincidence—but I think this _proves_ that they weren't. The inscription is small, and I'll admit, I almost missed it…But I know somewhere inside, you still feel for me…"

"Even at your worst, you still cared for me. I'm grateful for that, I really am. I'm really lucky to have someone like you care for me, even after what I did to you…" She once again closed the distance between themselves. Her hands found their way to his face, and held it, making him meet her eyes. They were only inches away from each other.

"Hope, we both need to heal. We're attracted to each other, but somehow, we've both managed to hurt each other. If we can do that, then I believe we can both do the opposite; we can help each other…We can love each other…Let's do this together, Hope, because I want you…"

_Is this….really happening? Is she…blushing? Wait, she's closing her eyes…My head…is she pulling it down towards her? Her lips…they're…_

Lightning's lips met Hope's. His eyes almost bulged out of his head, but he soon calmed himself down, and found his eyelids drooping. Her lips were so soft and velvety. She kissed his bottom lip, massaging it with her own and her tongue. She made sure to not leave his upper lip out. Hope let out a low moan, lost in the moment. This was what he had dreamed of for so long—and it was better than his imagination could ever be. He felt the genuine passion coming off of her; Lightning was being truthful and serious. She really meant all she said. And this kiss was just a moot point, but hell, it was one gracious and beautiful moot point.

Hope was reminded of his love and affection for her. How could he let his anger get in the way of this? He felt warm and safe with her—comforting couldn't even begin to describe this feeling. He snapped out of his internal train of thought, and returned her kisses.

He didn't want to pull away, but he had to. He had to say something to her. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, which caused Lightning to open her eyes.

"Light…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done that to you, put you through all of it—"

"No…Its okay…I understand…You had every right to be mad, after what I did…"

"I want to forget it all too…I want to make new memories, happier and brighter ones…with you. Claire…I want you to have my heart…"

His arms had wrapped themselves around her. Her arms had done the same, and pulled him even closer. Their eyes were like magnets, finding each other and never breaking the gaze.

"I'll take it, and never let it go…You can have mine, too…Take it all, it's yours…"

They soon found each other going in for another kiss—it was inevitable, and welcome at the same time. In that moment, Hope had felt his iron heart rust and corrode. The hinge keeping it shut had fallen off. This same hinge was the one that prevented any affection or emotion from getting in or out for so many years. He was happy that blasted piece of garbage was broken. He welcomed the love and affection that poured through his heart's open gate. It all came from Light. It filled his heart to the brim, and even threatened to overflow it. He didn't care. It didn't matter to him. There was no way that too much love was a bad thing. He felt good. He felt like he was going to be truly happy. In that moment, he also thought that the iron heart concept was probably the worst and most inane idea he ever came up with.

Hope separated his lips from Lightning's for the briefest of moments and by the smallest gap possible. "Let's be happy together."

"Together."

He saw her flash him one of her glowing smiles. They both knew good times were to come—and stay.

_The End_

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A/N: That's it. To those of you who thought this story would end on a sad note, well, you were wrong ;P Additionally, no, Hope does not have a literal iron heart, it was just a symbol/figurative language.

My writing time will be greatly reduced in the months to come, so consider this my last full-length story for a long time. _If_ I can find time to write, I think I'm going to enter the one-shot business. _If_ I can even do that at all.

Again, thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed this story.

If you haven't already, please consider writing your own Hope/Light story—we all could use some more!


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